Financial Aid Office

Students must complete an application for the Excelsior Scholarship. Students cannot apply until after their FAFSA and NYS applications are processed. Please allow 7-10 days for the FAFSA and NYS to process before completing the Excelsior application. Students should plan accordingly to ensure the Excelsior deadline is met. 

If you previously received an Excelsior award, no additional action is needed.

Complete Excelsior Scholarship Application

General Requirements 

• Complete New York State Application and Federal FAFSA application each academic year 
• be a resident of NYS and have resided in NYS for 12 continuous months prior to the beginning of the term;
• be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen;
• have either graduated from high school in the United States, earned a high school equivalency diploma, or passed a federally approved "Ability to Benefit" test, as defined by the Commissioner of the State Education Department;
• have a combined federal adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less;
• be pursuing an undergraduate degree at a SUNY or CUNY college, including community colleges and the statutory colleges at Cornell University and Alfred University;
• be enrolled in at least 12 credits per term and complete at least 30 credits each academic year, applicable toward their degree program through continuous study with no break in enrollment except for certain reasons that can be documented;
• if attended college prior to the 2019-20 academic year, have earned at least 30 credits each year (successively), applicable toward their degree program prior to applying for an Excelsior Scholarship;
• be in a non-default status on a student loan made under any NYS or federal education loan program or on the repayment of any NYS award;
• be in compliance with the terms of the service condition(s) imposed by any NYS award that you have previously received; and
• Reside in NYS for the length of time the award was received, and, if employed during such time, be employed in NYS.
• must have remaining tuition charges after all other grants and scholarships are applied to tuition. 

Academic Requirements to Maintain Eligibility 

• Must be working on first bachelor's degree with no breaks in enrollment.
  • A student that enrolled in college years ago is not eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship if they return to complete their degree.
• Must earn at least 30 credits per academic year and enroll in at least 12 credit hours per semester
  • Remedial courses (099, 098) do not count toward the student's 30 earned credit minimum or toward full-time status.
  • Students may enroll in J-Term or summer to meet the 30 credit hour minimum.
• The Excelsior Scholarship may only be used for the fall and/or spring semesters. 
• Must complete degree in 4 years
• If a student fails to meet the academic eligibility requirements, they will lose eligibility for the scholarship permanently. There is an extremely limited appeal process if the student loses eligibility. You can find the Appeal Form here.
• Students' eligibility will be certified at the end of each semester.

At the end of each year, Buffalo State must certify that Excelsior-eligible students earned at least 30 credits (24 for EOP students) in the previous year. Additionally, Buffalo State must certify the student's cumulative (lifetime) earned credits are in accordance with the following chart: 

► Dependent Students:  New York State will add the student's federal adjusted gross income (AGI) with their parent's federal AGI to determine the "Combined AGI" amount. 

► Independent Students:  New York State will add the student's federal adjusted gross income (AGI) with their spouse's (if applicable) federal AGI to determine the "Combined AGI" amount.  

► Note: The federal government and New York State government have different rules pertaining to independence.  

Combined Federal AGI Limit by Academic Year:

• 2024-2025 Academic Year:  Combined Federal AGI of $125,000 or less, as reported on 2022 Federal Tax Return

Graduating within 8 Semesters

Excelsior rules are strict that students must be able to graduate within eight (8) semesters. Students admitted through an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) are allowed ten (10) semesters. 

Students that cannot complete their degree in eight semesters may lose eligibility for the Excelsior Scholarship in their eighth semester. Students most at risk of this include:

• Students pursuing dual majors or dual degrees only need to be on track for on-time completion of one degree.
• Students that change degree programs/majors

Repeating Coursework

Students who repeat courses they previously passed may need to earn more than 30 credits in an academic year to compensate for the course repeat. When a student repeats a course they passed, credit for the course is only issued once, which may mean the student is then deficient in their cumulative credits. Example:

• During the 2019-20 academic year, the student earns 30 credits.
• During the 2020-21 academic year, the student earns 30 credits, but it includes a course repeat they passed in the prior year. The credit previously earned in 2019-20 is then accounted for in 2020-21. This means the student earned 27 credits in 2019-20 and 30 credits in 2020-21. In total, the student has earned 57 credits, which is short of the 60 credits needed to maintain eligibility for Excelsior. The student would lose eligibility in spring 2021 in this example. 

Recipients of the Excelsior Scholarship must:

• Reside exclusively in New York State and shall not be employed in any other state for the same number of years as the student received the Excelsior Scholarship.
• Sign a contract with the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) in the event the student fails to live in NYS for the required length of time or if the student works in another state, in which the Excelsior Scholarship will be converted to a 0% student loan (to be repaid within 10 years).  
• If a student loses eligibility for the scholarship before completing their degree, the scholarship does not revert to a loan. The scholarship only reverts to a loan if the student does not meet the residency requirement. 

Below is an example of how to estimate the amount of an Excelsior Scholarship you may qualify for after considering all other grants and scholarships: 

If a student fails to meet the annual credit or continuous enrollment requirements for the Excelsior Scholarship, they will lose eligibility for the scholarship permanently. There is an extremely limited appeal process based on the following conditions:

• Death of an immediate family member
• Called to active military duty
• Interrupted your studies to take care of your new-born child (parental leave)
• Your medical or health care provider determines that your medical condition or mental health prevents you from beginning or continuing the term or from continuing a fulltime course load.
• Interrupted your studies to care for an immediate family member, whose medical or heath care provider has determined the need for additional support or care, which impacts your ability to begin or continue the term or from continuing a full-time course load.

Students who have previously received Excelsior must apply for the appeal with the Buffalo State Excelsior appeal application.  Students who have never had Excelsior must appeal directly with New York State Higher Education Services Corporation.